Fla. Boys & Girls Club beset by burglaries

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A Boys & Girls Club in Pine Hills, Fla., has become a favorite target for burglars, having been hit seven times in the past several weeks.

Boys & Girls Club officials say the seven burglaries since Aug. 4 are representative of the increased violence in the surrounding neighborhood during the past few years, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"This is a symptom of the problem the community is suffering," Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida President Gary Cain said.

Dating back to January 2006, the children's club has been the victim of more than 20 robberies. Yet most troubling to many local officials is a report that the main suspect in the recent burglaries may be a child.

Orange County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Gaylord Long told the Sentinel a child was seen eating food that was reported stolen from the care facility.

"More's the pity, isn't it?" Long said. "Probably we'll end up figuring out the person could use the very help that the Boys & Girls Club offers."

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